08-27-2021, 06:11 AM
Dreaded glass dash failure... No Rant, just some thoughts
First, let me just say, I love my Newell and have lived everyday for the past 2+ years in it which I feel is no small accomplishment. Newell has supported me with repairs and emergency phone support sufficient to keep the systems up and running. Again, no small accomplishment.
A few days ago while preparing to leave an RV park in Kill Devil Hills NC the glass dash began flickering. At first it was only a slight wiggle in a small portion of screen but caught my eye as the screen had always been rock solid. Within a few minutes it degraded into a few colored vertical lines on one side of the screen and eventually all image was gone. Ugh... shades of the "Blue Screen of Death" to those old enough to remember the early days of DOS and Windows.
It occurred to me that this might be temperature related as the sun had been coming through the windshield and the top of the dash was quite hot. Luckily I had installed a BlueFire iPad into the overhead and it gave me most of the important data I would want to see. After adding a speedometer app to a spare cellphone I had all but the TPMS info available and could begin my trip. Eventually, we turned away from the sun and the dash cooled and the screen came back on but rolled like an early black and white TV. Turning the Dash A/C on proved to be useful as the screen eventually settled down and became legible.
After getting to my destination I called SilverLeaf to discuss the problem and see what they could do. Seems that the glass portion of the system is no longer available however they might be able to repair it, if the parts are still on the shelf. Otherwise I could buy the new screen and data collection components and expect a $5,000+ bill not including new bezel and mods to the dash itself.
Now I'm not complaining. My last bill at the factory was over $13,000 for the various repairs of similar importance, so I'm just happy a path is open where it either gets repaired or a new unit installed. I'm hoping its a power supply or other easily replaceable component. Time will tell.
When I purchased my 2008 coach about 3 years ago I went through the various systems and tried to analyze my future requirements regarding systems and parts failure. and how I would deal with replacement and/or refitting of a complex system. The 2 stand outs in the coach were the SilverLeaf system and the Spider electrical control system. The exercise proved to be valuable as the Spider system went through several control modules most of which were repaired at Newell but recently have been dealt with directly. I now carry 2 spare modules. The last 2 units returned to the factory were repaired as no new modules were available.
There was not much I could do regarding the SilverLeaf system. I did purchase a cheap windows laptop and the interface for downloading to and from the system but not much else to do but wait and hope all goes well. For now I will wait to hear back from the factory as to how to proceed. For the time being I will attempt to reroute one of the A/C ducts in the dash to cool the back of the SilverLeaf module and see how long it can delay its eventual demise.
This brings me to a recent thought I had when reading about Newells new N1 system. Now I don't have a comment at this time regarding the N1 system specifically at this time. But I do have allot to say about the constant increase in complexity and lifetime costs related to technology that delivers only marginal increases in usability and functionality with massive hidden risks of failures that could put you on the side of the road thumbing a ride home. Think DEF pump failures which have killed many RV'rs summer plans this year.
No manufacturer wanted to make the DEF system more complicated so perhaps it falls into another category more in line with the dictation of technical requirements by legislative bodies that have no ability to understand the costs, efforts or risks involved. But here's the gist of my thought. It is impossible to know the real reliability of a system until it has been proven over a long period of time in the field and that reliability can only be maintained so long as all components in the system remain unchanged once proven. Big upheavals in the worlds manufacturing base has had catastrophic results that most people are unaware of but cause many fine companies to be put out of business. The transfer of the production of almost all surface mount components to China was a disaster in almost all areas of electronics production. Who thought a small change in MTBF (mean time between failure) could mean so much. But when you have thousands of components in an electronic device you only need a small change in "component lifetime" to quickly take a device from 10 years MTBF to 10 weeks or possibly even 10 days.
As an example, I had a brand new install of Raymarine navigation instruments put into a sailboat in 2014 which had so many failures that for 2 years we routed our port visits to only those harbors where a Raymarine repair facility was available. Turns out that time frame coincided with the move in surface mount manufacturing to China. Some of my instruments were replaced as many as 5 times. About 80% of all instruments were eventually replaced. The factory never admitted they had a problem but every repairman at every facility I visited told stories of every manufacturers struggles not just Raymarine. I would suggest that we are entering another phase of even greater upheaval in our manufacturing base and that we should be moving away from more complexity and towards simpler and more robust systems. I work hard keeping my Newell coach maintained and working at every level, but recognize that at some point systems will need replacing because the original systems are no longer supported. Owners of more basic coaches will have an easier time of it. With all of the focus in Washington on the elimination of gasoline and diesel power and the shear lunacy of our political leaders, complex systems will be the first to degrade to an unmanageable point.
I'm happy I was able to find a Newell with a 2006 Cat C15 and so avoided another of the pitfalls in this industry relating to DEF and regeneration. Perhaps it's time for Newell to be thinking about building 5th wheels with commercial sized king pins so we can have them moved around by whatever commercial tractor is available in the coming years? I'm not feeling good about my long term prospects living the RV life.
Ok, maybe a little rant....
Best regards to all.
Mike
First, let me just say, I love my Newell and have lived everyday for the past 2+ years in it which I feel is no small accomplishment. Newell has supported me with repairs and emergency phone support sufficient to keep the systems up and running. Again, no small accomplishment.
A few days ago while preparing to leave an RV park in Kill Devil Hills NC the glass dash began flickering. At first it was only a slight wiggle in a small portion of screen but caught my eye as the screen had always been rock solid. Within a few minutes it degraded into a few colored vertical lines on one side of the screen and eventually all image was gone. Ugh... shades of the "Blue Screen of Death" to those old enough to remember the early days of DOS and Windows.
It occurred to me that this might be temperature related as the sun had been coming through the windshield and the top of the dash was quite hot. Luckily I had installed a BlueFire iPad into the overhead and it gave me most of the important data I would want to see. After adding a speedometer app to a spare cellphone I had all but the TPMS info available and could begin my trip. Eventually, we turned away from the sun and the dash cooled and the screen came back on but rolled like an early black and white TV. Turning the Dash A/C on proved to be useful as the screen eventually settled down and became legible.
After getting to my destination I called SilverLeaf to discuss the problem and see what they could do. Seems that the glass portion of the system is no longer available however they might be able to repair it, if the parts are still on the shelf. Otherwise I could buy the new screen and data collection components and expect a $5,000+ bill not including new bezel and mods to the dash itself.
Now I'm not complaining. My last bill at the factory was over $13,000 for the various repairs of similar importance, so I'm just happy a path is open where it either gets repaired or a new unit installed. I'm hoping its a power supply or other easily replaceable component. Time will tell.
When I purchased my 2008 coach about 3 years ago I went through the various systems and tried to analyze my future requirements regarding systems and parts failure. and how I would deal with replacement and/or refitting of a complex system. The 2 stand outs in the coach were the SilverLeaf system and the Spider electrical control system. The exercise proved to be valuable as the Spider system went through several control modules most of which were repaired at Newell but recently have been dealt with directly. I now carry 2 spare modules. The last 2 units returned to the factory were repaired as no new modules were available.
There was not much I could do regarding the SilverLeaf system. I did purchase a cheap windows laptop and the interface for downloading to and from the system but not much else to do but wait and hope all goes well. For now I will wait to hear back from the factory as to how to proceed. For the time being I will attempt to reroute one of the A/C ducts in the dash to cool the back of the SilverLeaf module and see how long it can delay its eventual demise.
This brings me to a recent thought I had when reading about Newells new N1 system. Now I don't have a comment at this time regarding the N1 system specifically at this time. But I do have allot to say about the constant increase in complexity and lifetime costs related to technology that delivers only marginal increases in usability and functionality with massive hidden risks of failures that could put you on the side of the road thumbing a ride home. Think DEF pump failures which have killed many RV'rs summer plans this year.
No manufacturer wanted to make the DEF system more complicated so perhaps it falls into another category more in line with the dictation of technical requirements by legislative bodies that have no ability to understand the costs, efforts or risks involved. But here's the gist of my thought. It is impossible to know the real reliability of a system until it has been proven over a long period of time in the field and that reliability can only be maintained so long as all components in the system remain unchanged once proven. Big upheavals in the worlds manufacturing base has had catastrophic results that most people are unaware of but cause many fine companies to be put out of business. The transfer of the production of almost all surface mount components to China was a disaster in almost all areas of electronics production. Who thought a small change in MTBF (mean time between failure) could mean so much. But when you have thousands of components in an electronic device you only need a small change in "component lifetime" to quickly take a device from 10 years MTBF to 10 weeks or possibly even 10 days.
As an example, I had a brand new install of Raymarine navigation instruments put into a sailboat in 2014 which had so many failures that for 2 years we routed our port visits to only those harbors where a Raymarine repair facility was available. Turns out that time frame coincided with the move in surface mount manufacturing to China. Some of my instruments were replaced as many as 5 times. About 80% of all instruments were eventually replaced. The factory never admitted they had a problem but every repairman at every facility I visited told stories of every manufacturers struggles not just Raymarine. I would suggest that we are entering another phase of even greater upheaval in our manufacturing base and that we should be moving away from more complexity and towards simpler and more robust systems. I work hard keeping my Newell coach maintained and working at every level, but recognize that at some point systems will need replacing because the original systems are no longer supported. Owners of more basic coaches will have an easier time of it. With all of the focus in Washington on the elimination of gasoline and diesel power and the shear lunacy of our political leaders, complex systems will be the first to degrade to an unmanageable point.
I'm happy I was able to find a Newell with a 2006 Cat C15 and so avoided another of the pitfalls in this industry relating to DEF and regeneration. Perhaps it's time for Newell to be thinking about building 5th wheels with commercial sized king pins so we can have them moved around by whatever commercial tractor is available in the coming years? I'm not feeling good about my long term prospects living the RV life.
Ok, maybe a little rant....
Best regards to all.
Mike
2008 Newell #1223 4 slide, Cat C15 with ZF 12 spd, 2004 Chevy Silverado 4x4 Duramax 6.6
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